PHNOM PENH: Law on Access to Information is being developed by two law-making teams: Team One is responsible for drafting the law; while Team Two is tasked with organizing the national and international legislative consultation seminars, said H.E. Khieu Kanharith, Minister of Information while meeting on Monday with the head and officials of the Provincial Department of Information in Takeo.

The minister said that previously the Ministry of National Assembly-Senate Relations and Inspection was in charge of developing the Law on Access to Information. Following the national election in 2013, Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, delegated the tasks to the Ministry of Information.

It is a three-year plan to finalize the Law on Access to Information, said Information Minister H.E. Khieu Kanharith, adding, “The ministry had been working on it since September 2013 until September 2014, spending the first full year to collect hundreds of legislative documents from 20 to 30 countries around the world so as to fully compare and see that the law is appropriate.”

The ministry set up two technical committees – the Legislation Drafting Committee and the Committee to study and finalize the draft law. The representatives from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia, and civil society organizations are invited to join in the 2nd technical committee.

He pointed out that the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Information made ​​a joint declaration on organizing to have three information officials in each province and municipality to provide and clarify the information on matters taking place within their provincial and municipal jurisdiction and report and share the information to the public and concerned agencies.akp